Publication Date: 2023/11/28
Abstract: Nigeria is a sub-Saharan Africa country, its closeness to the equator precipitates tropical type of climate. The consequence of the alternating raining and dry seasons coupled with relatively high humidity throughout the year triggers severe chemical decay which causes rock rot in Ekiti area of SW Nigeria. Decomposition of rocks through intense in-situ chemical weathering and selective leaching resulted in prevalence of laterites, lateritic soils and saprolite in the area. Lateritization and formation of saprolite in the area is consequent on de-silicification processes during which substantial alkali and alkali earth elements are leached from the granite. This paper investigates and report geochemical features of granite weathered in-situ in Ikere-Ekiti, Ado-Ekiti and its environs. Analytical result reveals silica contents of the laterite (55.03-63.22 %; average, 58.98%) is lower than saprolite (59.31-65.41%; average, 62.92%). The ratio (Fe2O3 + Al2O3): SiO2 for the ferruginous laterite (0.55) and saprolite (0.49) suggests the two weathering products are laterites with varying colours. Fe2O3 contents in laterite (7.53-11.03%; average, 9.31%) is higher than saprolite (2.65-4.26%; average, 3.81%). Ternary diagram (SiO2-AI2O3-Fe2O3) which show maturity of laterites classifies the weathered materials as products of weak lateritization.
Keywords: Ekiti, Nigeria, Saprolite, Ferruginous Laterite, De-Silicification, Lateritization.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10213165
PDF: https://ijirst.demo4.arinfotech.co/assets/upload/files/IJISRT23NOV760.pdf
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